Festivals in India affected by Covid-19

 Hello everyone. In today’s topic we will see how the festivals in India are affected by Covid-19 and what Vijay Dalwani shared with us in this session. Vijay Dalwani, known for his successful events and his event planning skills in the world of events. Many event companies are facing a lot of losses due to the Covid-19 situation. Vijay Dalwani discussed how festival celebrations can be carried out in the absence of any communication between people. Lets see below.

 

Life of a festival goer in 2020 has seen a dramatic twist with COVID-19 as the diabolical nemesis. All the exciting festivals that one would look forward to in 2020 can no longer be experienced this year as public gatherings could only worsen the spread of the virus. The impact of festivals in 2020 has been quite saddening as all the fun and frolic that comes with the festivals in India would not happen. Some of its impacts have been positive, but some have also been a little negative that we cannot deny.

 

Vijay Dalwani says” you wouldn’t be able to witness a carnivalesque town bustling with a decked up crowd of festival goers in 2020. These also include film festivals, city festivals and even religious events such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Navratri and more. Apart from crowd gathering and the lack of artists interacting with each other on stage, it could be rather exciting too. How, you ask? There are some pros and cons which you might want to know about as you read about everything regarding the impact of COVID-19 on festivals in India”.

Online festivities

Vijay Dalwani says online celebration of festivals is the best way of celebration in this covid-19 pandemic. Says Vijay Dalwani “With the tedious impact of COVID-19 on festivals in 2020, many festival organisers have taken things online to ensure that they continue to sustain the spirit of festivals. There have been a few tie-ups with booking websites and social media pages that are being used as new platforms to reach out to the festival goers”.

 

You see, many organisers and even talents have started using social media as the right platform for them to reach the audience. Sure, there are OTT platforms also promoting 2020 festivals in a fun way. However, many of them have used the medium to promote talks and workshops as a means to educate the audience while giving them a virtual experience of the festival.

 

Raw and unrehearsed performances

 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the life of an artist was vastly different. Much of the theatre group's time was spent on rehearsing with each other, meeting up to read lines, improvise when needed and more. However, things have changed tremendously since COVID-19 and its impact on festivals in 2020. 

 

You no longer can enjoy going to festivals in 2020 such as Tata LitLife Festival, Kala Ghoda Festival, Jaipur Film Festival, MAMI and more. Things might seem sad considering how the experience of going to festivals in 2020 has seen a change. But many theatre artists and celebrities are taking up festivals online. 

 

You would be amazed to see some of the raw and unrehearsed performances. Sure, they might lack the finesse that comes with an actual stage, props and drapes. But with the real and rawness in the performance, you might be intrigued. It is as natural as it can get.

 

Masked faces

The impact of COVID-19 on festivals in 2020 is such that you will notice masked faces taking over on social and online media. Not only are they to talk about their art, to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on festivals in India but also to encourage everyone to wear masks. As it is one of the most important things that should be done in order to protect oneself from the virus, celebrities and artists are asked to wear masks. 

 

The method helps them promote COVID-19 safety guidelines while continuing to speak about their content. However, not all of them use masks as the bigger picture is also to promote the quarantine rules and stay within the four walls of the house.

Home is the new stage

Festivals in 2020 would not be the same as you would be witnessing events from your phone through some of the online events taking place. The impact of COVID-19 on festivals has resulted in many artists turning their home into a stage for performances. In fact, production houses of various theatre groups are now using their social media pages to showcase their talents. 

 

 

Of course, this has resulted in many artists using their home as the platform or rather stage to project their performance. Production houses such as QTP and AKvarious are all using their online presence to project the talents they work with. You would actually be amazed to see some of the interesting performances of some of the star actors. They have used this quarantine time to come up with creative content to engage the audience as festivals in 2020 have gone online.

Live sessions and virtual events

All the performances and sessions with industry stalwarts having a session with the public have now gone virtual. If you have noticed, a lot of celebrities are now taking their talk sessions online. As long as you know which social media page you need to follow to catch your favourite celebrity's live session, you will get to watch the full talk. Further, a lot of event management companies have tied up with celebrity stalwarts of the specific industry to promote their products as well as initiate a festival. Social media has become the only platform which is being used to connect with fans and festival goers. For example, the Sunburn Festival and NH4 music festival are all using their social media profiles to reach out to their fans and keep them engaged.

 

So stay at home, stay safe, don't crowd like that which invites the next Covid wave.